Just a Ghost
by fallenjedipadawan
Summary: Ben meets an interesting character on the banks of the Mississippi river.  Originally written for Castaways Kingdoms prompts October 2009 Ghosts and recently rediscovered.


**a/n: So I wrote this story for the prompt last October ghost. Just as I finished my computer died and I thought it was lost forever, today I discovered that it was saved on a flash drive. :D So I reworked it a little and am finally putting it up. Reviews are always enjoyed. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own castaways. **

**Just a Ghost**

The rising moon was an orange ball of yarn tangled in the spindly branches of the trees on the distant shore; a screech owl took flight its jagged voice caused a teen to jump slightly as its silhouette crossed the glowing orb before diving down on its prey. The slow river quietly lapped at the muddy banks of an island as it slowly moved past. A faint trail of smoke, embers brightening its path, snaked into the darkening sky as a small fire danced, feeding off the thin sticks that were contained in a roughly built fire pit. The boy drew his coat around him just a little tighter and held his hands out to the warm flames, the cold of autumn was sinking in and he knew soon he would have to return to the town hopping a friendly soul would invite him to spend a night under their roof or a steaming meal. He could practically imagine it, truthfully he loved his freedom, but the thought of not having to worry about where his next meal would come from at times appealed to him.

When a black dog sauntered over to him and sat in the fire light he reached out a careful hand and gently began scratching its back. "Hey boy, you ain't got a home neither?" He petted the dog for a moment more before he turned hazel eyes up to the bushes several feet away. "Those ain't a good place to hide. Is this yer dog?"

A boy, maybe two years younger, emerged from the bushes a slightly embarrassed expression on his face. "Yeah, we saw the fire and Ned wanted to come see if we could warm up beside it for a couple of minutes." The blond boy snapped his fingers. "Sorry, we won't bother you. Come on Ned."

"Whoa, I ain't got a problem with you restin' for a minute. I was getting awful lonely anyways, it'll be nice to have someone to talk to."

Ben moved into the area lit by the fire and sunk on to a rotting log. "Thanks, most people chase us off if we come to near."

"People in these parts are afeared of strangers. Ever since the doc was murdered. That was over a year ago now, but they still believe that someone will come creepin' along and murder'em in their sleep."

"Who was murdered?"

"The doc, everyone reckoned it was Muff Potter, but you see me 'n Tom saw the whole blame thing. Injun Joe stabbed the doc 'cause he wanted the treasure all for himself. Tom told one him in court, but he died in the caves." The brown haired boy shivered slightly at the memory. "He was gonna kill us if he caught us."

"Kill you?" The younger boy's blue eyes widened slightly.

"Sure, and it wouldn't have bother him none." The teen abruptly stuck his hand out. "The wider told me it was polite to introduce myself. She told me, but there was so deng much I need to be polite. I s'pose I forget sometimes. I'm Huck, Huck Finn."

The younger shook the offered hand. "Ben and that's Ned, no last name for either." A small grin crossed his face.

"No last name? Don't you got a family, name or something?"

"No. My mother died and I lived with my stepfather, but I ran away and found Ned. We've been traveling ever since; we don't have a home or family so we get by on what we can."

Huck nodded, "I don't got a home either, my pap used to abuse me something awful, so I lived on my own as much as possible. Then The wider Douglas took me in, but she's dead. Then Sally wanted to adopt me but I lit out 'fore she could cause I reckon I would go plum crazy if I had to be civilized again. I've been thinkin' about goin out to injun to territory, but I ain't do that." He light up as if struck with inspiration. "Say why don't you come with me? Neither of us got homes and no one will miss us, we'll have yer dog to protect us and we could get us some shovels. They say you've only got to dig fer five minutes 'fore find some gold an' then we'll be rich as kings."

Ben laughed at this thought. "You don't even know me and yet you want me to come find gold with you?"

"Sure. You ain't a bad feller."

"Ned and I have other plans, but thanks for the offer. Don't you have a mother to take care of you? I'm sure she wouldn't want you to go off somewhere like that."

"Nah, she died when I was a youngin. I still remember her sometimes though. She was the most beautiful women in Hannibal and she was in love with my pap, she said no to the Revrend when he wanted to court her cause she thought my pap would treat her right. I reckon from what I hear he did till I was born, he was respectable back then, had a job 'n everything. He never wanted a kid, but my ma had me anyways. He blamed her for that and started drinkin' more. When my ma got sick he had already lost his job, so we weren't able to get the medicine she needed so she died. After that he did nothin' but drink, 'cept when he was tannin' me." He tossed a twig in to the flames. "Sometimes iffin I close my eyes real tight I think I can see her. She had long hair the color of a real fine horses tail and her eyes were so blue. She loved flowers and I don't remember a time when she didn't smell like 'em. What was yer mother like?"

Ben shrugged. "I don't remember it was so long ago. My step father told me I had hair like hers, but most of what he said were lies."

"My pap when he was awful drunk would tell whoppin' fibs. Seid that I was the angel of death once. He died robbin' someone's house, was shot or maybe he drowned, the house washed away. I don' try to remember him like my ma, I know she's 'n angel, but he's just a ghost."

"I think my mother's an angel too, at least I hope so." Ben stood and the dog rose as well. "Thanks for sharing the fire, Huck. We'd best be going."

"Yer welcome to stay. I've got some fish we could fry up."

"We'll be fine, just needed to rest. We're meeting someone down the river soon and we need to keep going." The duo moved away from the fire and back into the darkened bushes they emerged from, as they went several words of a melancholy tune floated back. "No more, boys, no more, go to sea no more 'twas then that I wished that I was dead and could go to sea no more…"

**a/n: This one was uuber fun to write. The song at the end is Go to Sea No More and is a traditional forecastle song (song that was sung by sailors when they were off duty) it tells of a man who loses the fishing boat his father built for his mother. Please review. **


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